Selling landlocked land in Kentucky

How Kentucky law handles land with no road access

In Kentucky, only an owner whose residence sits on a tract with no road access can condemn a right-of-way up to 30 feet wide. The right is lost if the owner or a predecessor bought or created the landlocked parcel.

Statutory route: Condemnation by the owner of a residence tract to gain a right-of-way to a public road.

Common-law route: Easement by necessity requires unity of ownership, severance by conveyance, and necessity (reported in a Kentucky Court of Appeals decision, Ap & Dp, LLC v. Dendinger).

Law: KRS 416.350. Court routes take time and cost money. Ask a local attorney.

Your options as a landlocked owner

• Ask a neighbor to sell or grant an access easement, in writing and recorded.
• Offer the land to the neighbor who borders it. They are often the most natural buyer.
• Use the Kentucky legal route above to create access, then sell.
• Sell as-is to a cash buyer who accepts land without access.

Kentucky land at a glance

• Average farm real estate value: $5,600 per acre (2026, USDA).
• Average property tax on farmland: about $13.62 per acre per year (2022 Census of Agriculture).
• Transfer tax: $0.50 for each $500 of value or fraction of $500 (0.1%), collected by the county clerk before the deed is recorded.
• Seller disclosure: KRS 324.360 covers only sales of single-family residential dwellings when a licensee is paid, so vacant land needs no state seller disclosure form.

These are statewide averages, not an appraisal. See selling land in Kentucky for county values, or try the land value estimator.

How a cash sale handles this

Liberty Acres is a family-owned cash land buyer. We buy land anywhere in the US, in any condition, including land with back taxes, inherited land and land with no road access. We pay back taxes and all closing costs, use no agents and charge no commissions, and close through a title company, escrow company or real estate attorney who pays you by wire or check.

Common questions